United States Supreme Court Fails to Challenge Anti-LGBTI Law

The United States Supreme Court has failed to take any legal challenges against a Mississippi “religious freedom” law enabling discrimination against LGBT people.

The Supreme Courts decision to not challenge the legislation leaves individuals affected by the law extremely limited recourses to combat discrimination on the basis of their sexuality.

The law, HB 1523, specifically prohibits the state from taking action against religious organisations that decline employment, housing or services to same-sex couples; families who’ve adopted a foster child and wish to act in opposition to same-sex marriage; and individuals who offer wedding services and decline to facilitate a same-sex wedding.

In conjunction the bill also allows individuals working in medical services to decline a transgender person’s gender reassignment surgery and allow state government employees who facilitate marriages the option to opt out of issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

Masen Davis, who is the CEO of the LGBTI group Freedom for All Americans, said in a statement that the Supreme Court has missed an “opportunity to swiftly strike down the nation’s most extreme anti-LGBTQ law.”

“HB 1523 fails to honor the tradition of religious freedom in America, instead, it allows people to use religion as a license to discriminate. The LGBTQ community remains in harm’s way every single day that this law is in effect, and we are committed to working with our legal partners to strike this draconian measure once and for all.”